Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a Democratic proposal to cut $11.4 billion in spending, saying that “the Legislature must solve the entire [$27 billion] deficit … and must not push the problem off to tomorrow.” With IOUs now a certainty and the state in financial ruin, a prominent Democrat called the governor’s stance “the most irresponsible thing that I’ve seen in my 15 years of public service.”

San Francisco Chronicle:

The Democratic legislators failed to win over Schwarzenegger with a promise to put together a comprehensive reform package within 60 days — in response to his demand — that would root out fraud in health and social service programs and streamline government.

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger said, “I have been very clear that the Legislature must solve the entire deficit, must make the hard decisions now, and must not push the problem off to tomorrow.”

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